Road upgrading project to cut travel time from city to northeast by 60%.19 June 2008

The massive road intersection between Serangoon and MacPherson Roads will be upgraded at a cost of 130 million Singapore dollars and will be completed in 2011.

The Woodsville Interchange is one of the busiest in Singapore. In each hour during peak periods, over 8,500 vehicles ply the four arterial roads that form the intersection. The roads are Serangoon, Upper Serangoon, Bendemeer and MacPherson Roads.

As that’s close to full capacity, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said it's time for an upgrade.

Over the next three years, LTA will build a series of road tunnels.

One will join Serangoon Road to Upper Serangoon Road. Another links Upper Serangoon Road to Bendemeer Road. A third connects MacPherson Road to Bendemeer Road.

The first two tunnels are two-lane roads and the third is a one-lane road.

There will also be a flyover from the PIE slip road to Kallang Way.

These improvements will raise vehicle capacity by 30 per cent and cut travelling time in the area by 60 per cent.

Other works include rebuilding and adding more pedestrian overhead bridges and bus-stops in the area.

This road project is said to be one of the most complex ever undertaken by the LTA. One reason is because the three vehicular tunnels are going to be constructed just five metres above the existing northeast MRT line. This means that if digging is not done properly, the entire area will be compromised.

LTA has said that safety will be paramount and the site will be monitored round-the-clock.

Yam Ah Mee, Chief Executive, LTA, said: “We studied all the infrastructures, for example, at the major holding points for the PIE above ground. We also studied the types of soil conditions the different depths and orientations of the North-East Line tunnels, the other tunnels and the deep sewage tunnels.”

The LTA is aware of the inconveniences that come with construction of such scale.

So for the first time, it has set up a Project Community and Control Centre near the site to handle queries from those working and living nearby.

It's known as PC-cube and it will be open 9am to 5pm on weekdays. It will showcase the project's progress.

The centre will also monitor traffic flows at the interchange to ensure that traffic is moving at a satisfactory pace during the works.